John Chrysostom, On Psalm 118

God therefore, being good, 55.689 has given us good things, and when we sin he disciplines us, turning us back for our admonition. For whom the Lord loves, he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives, according to the proverbial saying. Therefore we stumble, and he justly corrects us, that we may turn back from the wicked way. For it is written: And the people did not turn back, until they were struck. And through his goodness we are taught both discipline and knowledge, and to believe that salvation will be given to us in his commandments. Teach me goodness and discipline and knowledge, for I have believed in your commandments. The prophet knows the usefulness of discipline, and that the Master, acting with love for mankind, brings this upon men; for this reason, he deems it worthy to partake of it. For God, acting with goodness, brings on discipline; and discipline brings knowledge. So also the prophet Jeremiah entreats: Discipline us, O Lord, but with judgment, and not in anger, lest you make us few in number. So also a sick person, desiring health, seeks both the cut of the iron and the cautery. Then he teaches from where he knew the usefulness of discipline. Before I was humbled, I transgressed; therefore I have kept your word. Since prospering in this world and being rich I certainly sinned; for this is what 'Before I was humbled' means; for wealth is certainly gathered from injustice; but turn me, that I may keep your words. For I, he says, brought discipline upon myself. For the sentence of punishment is free from injustice. Discipline followed sin, and the keeping of the laws followed discipline. I was sick, I was cut, I became well. You are good, O Lord. For you are truly good and loving-kind, and good and exceedingly good; and in your goodness preserve me in your statutes. For from you are all things that bring salvation. And in your goodness teach me your statutes. For this reason, being bold, I ask to receive from you the knowledge of your statutes. The injustice of the proud has been multiplied against me; but I will search out your commandments with my whole heart. All those who do not keep the commandments of God, and lift themselves up against his knowledge, they are the proud. And even if I walk among such men, he says, yet I will not follow them, but I will search out your commandments with my whole heart, remaining fixed in them. For those who practice boasting devise every kind of plot against me; but nevertheless I am not provoked by their lawlessness, being governed by your commandments. But these things were written for our admonition, that we might be rooted and grounded in what is good. Their heart was curdled like milk; but I have meditated on your law. This resembles the prophetic saying: For the heart of this people has grown fat; and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed. And it also resembles the things said in Exodus about Pharaoh: And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened. The Jews, therefore, were curdled like cheese; but the choir of the apostles, and those who believed through them, walk in meditation on the words of God, having obeyed the gospel of God. They therefore, he says, have a hardened heart, having themselves made what was soft in it hard, and like milk having thickened and curdled it; but I have devoted myself to the meditation of your law. It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes. The prophet gives thanks for the harsher medicines of the physician, having understood the health that comes from them. For above he said, 'Before I was humbled, I transgressed'; but here he says, 'It is good for me that you have humbled me.' For one falls into afflictions and misfortunes for discipline and turning back; and those who receive these with patience say: 'It is good for me that you have humbled me, that I might learn your statutes.' The law of your mouth is good to me

Ἀγαθὸς 55.689 δὲ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθὰ ἡμῖν ἐδωρήσατο, καὶ ἁμαρτανόν των ἡμῶν παιδεύει ἡμᾶς πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἐπιστρέφων. Ὃν γὰρ ἀγαπᾷ Κύριος, παιδεύει, μαστιγοῖ δὲ πάντα υἱὸν, ὃν παραδέχεται, κατὰ τὸν παροιμιακὸν λόγον. Οὐκοῦν πταίομεν, καὶ δικαίως σωφρονίζει, ἵνα ἐπιστρέ φωμεν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς. Γέγραπται γάρ· Καὶ ὁ λαὸς οὐκ ἐπεστράφη, ἕως ἐπλήγη. Καὶ διδασκόμεθα διὰ τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ παιδείαν καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς αὐτοῦ πιστεύειν ἡμῖν τὴν σωτηρίαν δο θήσεσθαι. Χρηστότητα καὶ παιδείαν καὶ γνῶσιν δίδα ξόν με, ὅτι ταῖς ἐντολαῖς σου ἐπίστευσα. Οἶδεν ὁ προφήτης τῆς παιδείας τὸ χρήσιμον, καὶ ὅτι φιλανθρω πίᾳ χρώμενος ὁ ∆εσπότης, ταύτην ἐπιφέρει τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις· οὗ δὴ χάριν ταύτης μεταλαχεῖν ἀξιοῖ. Χρηστότητι γὰρ χρώμενος ὁ Θεὸς τὴν παιδείαν ἐπάγει· ἡ δὲ παιδεία τὴν γνῶσιν. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας ἀντιβολεῖ· Παίδευσον ἡμᾶς, Κύριε, πλὴν ἐν κρίσει, καὶ μὴ ἐν θυμῷ, ἵνα μὴ ὀλιγοστοὺς ποιήσῃς ἡμᾶς. Οὕτω καὶ ἄῤῥωστος ὑγίειαν ποθῶν, καὶ σιδήρου τομὴν καὶ καυ στῆρα ἐπιζητεῖ. Εἶτα διδάσκει, πόθεν ἔγνω τῆς παιδείας τὸ χρήσιμον. Πρὸ τοῦ με ταπεινωθῆναι, ἐγὼ ἐπλημ μέλησα· διὰ τοῦτο τὸ λόγιόν σου ἐφύλαξα. Ἐπειδὴ εὐημερῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ καὶ πλουτῶν πάντως ἥμαρτον· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ, Πρὸ τοῦ με ταπεινωθῆναι· ὁ πλοῦτος γὰρ πάντως ἐξ ἀδικίας συνάγεται· ἀλλ' ἐπί στρεψόν με, ἵνα φυλάξω τοὺς λόγους σου. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φη σὶν, ἐμαυτὸν εἰς παιδείαν προυξένησα. Ἀδικίας γὰρ ἐλευθέρα τῆς τιμωρίας ἡ ψῆφος. Τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἠκολούθη σεν ἡ παιδεία, τῇ δὲ παιδείᾳ τῶν νόμων ἡ φυλακή. Ἠῤῥώστησα, ἐτμήθην, ἐῤῥώσθην. Χρηστὸς εἶ σὺ, Κύριε. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ χρηστὸς ὑπάρχεις καὶ φιλάνθρωπος, ἀγαθός τε καὶ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἀγαθός· καὶ τῇ σῇ ἀγα θότητι ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί σου διατήρησόν με. Παρὰ σοῦ γάρ ἐστι πάντα σωτήρια. Καὶ ἐν τῇ χρηστότητί σου δίδαξόν με τὰ δικαιώματά σου. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο θαῤῥῶν αἰτῶ παρὰ σοῦ λαβεῖν τῶν σῶν δικαιωμάτων τὴν γνώσιν. Ἐπληθύνθη ἐπ' ἐμὲ ἀδικία ὑπερηφάνων· ἐγὼ δὲ ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου ἐξερευνήσω τὰς ἐντολάς σου. Πάν τες οἱ μὴ φυλάσσοντες τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ κατ επαιρόμενοι κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ, αὐτοί εἰσιν ὑπερ ήφανοι. Καὶ εἰ καὶ μέσον τοιούτων ἀνθρώπων ἀναστρέ φομαι, φησὶν, ἀλλ' οὖν τούτοις οὐκ ἐπακολουθήσω, ἀλλ' ἐξερευνήσω ἐν ὅλῃ καρδίᾳ μου τὰς ἐντολάς σου, μένων πεπαγιωμένος ἐν αὐταῖς. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀλαζονείᾳ χρώμε νοι, πᾶν εἶδος ἐπιβουλῆς καττύουσι κατ' ἐμοῦ· ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς τὴν αὐτῶν παρανομίαν οὐκ ἐρεθίζομαι, ταῖς σαῖς ἐντολαῖς ῥυθμιζόμενος. Ταῦτα δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν ἐγράφησαν, ἵνα ὦμεν ἐῤῥιζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι εἰς τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἐτυρώθη ὡς γάλα ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν· ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν νόμον σου ἐμελέτησα. Ἔοικε τοῦτο τῷ προφητικῷ ῥητῷ· Ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου; καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶ βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν. Ἔοικε δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν Ἐξόδῳ περὶ τοῦ Φαραὼ εἰρημένοις· Καὶ ἐσκληρύνθη ἡ καρδία Φαραώ. Οἱ οὖν Ἰουδαῖοι ὡς τυρὸς ἐπάγησαν· ὁ δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων χορὸς, καὶ οἱ πιστεύσαντες δι' αὐ τῶν, ἐν μελέτῃ τῶν λόγων τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀναστρέφονται, τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ πειθαρχήσαντες. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν, φησὶν, ἀντίτυπον ἐσχήκασι τὴν καρδίαν, αὐτοὶ τὸ ἁπαλὸν αὐτῆς σκληρὸν ἐργασάμενοι, καὶ καθάπερ γάλα πήξαντες, καὶ τυρώσαντες· ἐγὼ δὲ τῇ μελέτῃ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ σοῦ προστέτηκα. Ἀγαθόν μοι ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δικαιώματά σου. Χάριν ὁ προφήτης ὁμολογεῖ τοῖς αὐστηροτέροις τοῦ ἰατροῦ φαρμάκοις, τὴν ἐντεῦθεν γενομένην καταμαθὼν ὑγίειαν. Ἀνωτέρω μὲν γὰρ εἶπε, Πρὸ τοῦ με ταπεινωθῆναι ἐγὼ ἐπλημμέλη σα· ἐνταῦθα δὲ λέγει, Ἀγαθόν μοι ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με. Πρὸς παιδείαν γὰρ καὶ ἐπιστροφὴ περιπίπτει τις εἰς θλίψεις καὶ συμφοράς· καὶ οἱ ἐν ὑπομονῇ ταύτας δεχόμενοι λέγουσιν· Ἀγαθόν μοι ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ἵνα τὰ δικαιώματά σου μάθω. Ἀγαθός μοι ὁ νόμος τοῦ στόματός σου